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Monday, August 29, 2011

Aromatherapy For The Mind, Body And Spirit: Part 1 Introduction To Essential Oils

Aromatherapy is a branch of herbal medicine which involves the therapeutic use of plant essences (essential oils). Essential oils are most often concentrated from plants by distillation. These essential oils have specific effects on mood and the emotions when their scent is carried from the nose/olfactory system to limbic system also known as the 'emotional brain.' Essential oils such as Rosemary and Peppermint have even been shown to speed up synaptic transmission in the brain. The therapeutic effects of dynamic natural plant essences simply cannot be duplicated by man-made and cheaply manufactured chemical fragrance oils.

Essential oils must always be diluted to a safe level. Two and a half percent is generally considered a safe level for massage oils, however, all essential oils are not save at the same levels. For example, one popular essential oil is Ylang Ylang, pronounced Ee-lang Ee-lang. This essential oil is used in natural perfumery as well as aromatherapy. The Ylang yYang plant is pictured, here. Ylang ylang is a heavenly floral, which also has properties of calming the nervous system, relieving insomnia and depression, and acting as an aphrodisiac. Ylang Ylang essential oil is safe for use at only 0.8% on skin due to possibility of sensitization.

Lavender is considered one of the safest essential oils. A simple recipe for a aromatherapy massage oil is 100 mLs of grapeseed oil and up to 50 drops (2.5%) of Organic or Wild-harvested Lavender essential oil. Lavender is a very calming, refreshing and balancing essential oil.

Many essential oils also have anti microbial and anti oxidant properties. Eucalyptus and Tea Tree are two other very safe essential oils. These specific essential oils that can be used in a balm can help fight the virus that causes cold sores.

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, their properties and how to use them safely, Robert Tisserand is an excellent resource. Robert is a leader in the field of Aromatherapy, down to earth, and offers reliable safety information based on scientific and clinical research. Also Organic essential oils, which are considered therapeutic grade, can be found at Mountain Rose Herbs.

5 comments:

Great article. I think there are a lot of people who don't know the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils. I've seen too many people using them interchangeably, and they aren't. Thanks for posting! Lavender is my personal favorite.

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